FootJoy Tour Alpha Double BOA Shoe Review

FootJoy Tour Alpha Double BOA Shoe Review

Watch Joel Tadman testing this unique shoe from FootJoy out on the course

Golf shoes don’t come much more innovative than the new Tour Alpha Double BOA. It shares many of the features of the laced Tour Alpha shoe but with the addition of a new Wrapid 2.0 fit system that comprises two BOA dials, one on the heel and the other on the side.

The premise of this is to alleviate significant pressure on the top of the golfer’s foot and enhance the golfer’s fit. In turn, this should help the golfer feel even more connected to the ground - FJ’s own testing has shown this shoe offers more power efficiency and torsional support than the Tour X shoe. We’ve seen two BOA dials on a golf shoe before on the Adidas Tour360 XT Twin BOA shoe but not in this configuration so in reality, what is the user experience like?

We took a pair to the course at West Hill to test out and the first thing that strikes you visually is that there’s lots going. It looks like a golf shoe sent back from the future and when you combine the dials, flaps and outsole pods coming into view when you look down, some will deem this shoe to be too over-engineered for their eyes.

In the same size as the laced version, the Double BOA does seem to come up a little bigger so you may want to consider coming down half a size. The rear BOA dial tightens the top flap while the side dials tightens the lower strap. Interestingly, the side dial turns both ways to adjust the tension, which is a nice touch although you shouldn’t need to use it much during the round.

When fully fastened, the feeling of even pressure across the foot is immediately obvious. You don’t get that pinching feeling on top of the foot that you sometimes get with laces and as a result, the comfort levels are through the roof - ably assisted by the thicker Ortholite Impressions FitBed.

Take your first swing and that more snug feel translates into a solid connection with the ground that allows you to swing with power and confidence, helped by the excellent grip from the nine-cleat outsole.

Weight transfer during the swing seemed to occur with more control and support, which helped our timing and overall consistency. The last thing you want is a shoe that feels like it might move from under you when going after a drive - these shoes keep your feet planted while allowing you to use the ground efficiently to generate speed.

Walking comfort hasn’t been sacrificed either - at no point did these shoes feel like hard work and while they’re not especially light, they also don’t come across as cumbersome.

The target market for a golf shoe like this, coming in at over £200 RRP, will be relatively small but for golfers that struggle to achieve the perfect fit from their golf shoes, the Double BOA system could well provide the solution. That aside, any golfer seeking the very best golf shoes in terms of performance will enjoy what the Tour Alpha Double BOA has to offer.

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